Chronic prostatitis is a disorder in which fluid accumulates or becomes congested in the male prostate gland and may become subject to bacterial infection. Persistence of this condition can lead to the prostate becoming cancerous. Some urologists believe that the most effective treatment for such prostatitis is to massage the prostate at regular intervals to stimulate it to discharge accumulated fluid. For example, in the book The Prostatitis Syndrome, by Bradley R. Hennenfent, President of the Prostatitis Foundation, regular prostatic drainage is promoted for long term medical treatment of bacterial prostatitis, non-bacterial prostatitis, prostatodynia, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), sexual dysfunction, and possibly preventing prostate cancer.
In conventional treatment to effect prostatic drainage, the physician or assistive person simply inserts a gloved finger into the rectum and strokes the surface areas of the prostate very gently in sweeping movements toward the urethra, i.e., the direction of prostatic drainage. This serves to relieve the symptoms of chronic prostatitis by draining accumulated prostatic fluid from the glands and ducts. Prostatic drainage is done to completely empty the prostate gland of fluids and to relieve obstructed prostatic duct. A vibrator probe may be used in place of or in addition to the finger massage method, as it appears to have a greater effect on relaxing the prostate tissue and promoting drainage. Although commonly referred to as “prostatic massage”, prostatic drainage is a far more complete procedure diagnostically and therapeutically than prostatic massage.
The need for regular and repeated prostatic drainage can require frequent visits to the doctor's office, which incurs a considerable expense and inconvenience to the patient. It is therefore desirable for a patient to have a way to carry out regular prostatic massaging himself. As illustrated in FIG. 9, self-administered prostatic massaging can be carried out using an elongated vibrator probe of the type commonly available as a personal appliance. However, the conventional vibrator requires manipulation of the probe stem with one hand from the rear of the patient. The probe must be inserted in the opening of the rectum with its tip adjacent the colon walls proximate the center of the prostate gland, then manipulated in precise sweeping movements over the surface areas of the prostate gland on each side of the urethra duct from the bladder in order to stimulate a discharge of fluid from the prostate gland through the penis. Manipulating the probe with one hand from one side of the body without being able to see its positioning and without being able to apply balanced forces in all directions is very difficult and, if not done correctly, can cause pain or injury to the rectum, colon, or prostate.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,477,666 and 2,478,786 to Smallen, a hook-shaped prostate gland massaging implement is disclosed which can be inserted and manipulated from the front side of the patient. However, the hooked shape makes it difficult for the patient to translate movements at the front side of the body into effective sweeping movements over the prostate gland at the rear side and interior of the body. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,002,164 to Bradley, a prostate massager is disclosed which has a probe attached to the end of a U-shaped bar with a handle that can be manipulated from the front side of the patient. A toggle line is arranged inside the bar extending to the probe which, when pulled, causes the probe tip to bend slightly to effect a sweeping movement over the prostate. Once the probe is inserted in the rectum, the bar may be rotated back-and-forth to rotate the probe tip and add to the massaging action. Again, with such device, it is difficult to translate movements at the front side of the person's body while pulling on a toggle line into precise and effective sweeping movements of the probe tip over the surfaces of the prostate gland.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which enables a person to carry out self-administered massaging of the prostate with precise control and balanced sweeping movements to stimulate and cause effective discharge of fluid from the congested prostate. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of self-operable treatment for prostatitis which is safe, easy to use, and relatively inexpensive.